The Royal Watercolour Society is proud to present The Chemistry of Water – an exhibition of new and recent works by artist Modupeola Fadugba.
This special exhibition develops the RWS's expansion of the boundaries of contemporary watercolour practice, and reflects Fadugba's own investment in the materiality of her work. Rather than treating watercolour as a fixed set of materials, the show considers it as a set of behaviours: flow, absorption, resistance, and reflection.
The Chemistry of Water continues Fadugba's wider practice – from Lagos and beyond – where water has been as much a subject as a condition; something that guides both how her figures move and how her materials behave. Acrylics are thinned and layered to act like watercolours, creating transparency and movement. Burnt surfaces alter the way pigment is absorbed. Beads interrupt and redirect its flow. Resist techniques hold space against it.
The exhibition will be accompanied by live programming throughout the duration of the exhibition, layering interdisciplinary voices to activate the works. It also takes place alongside Fadugba’s showcase at the Royal Academy’s Summer Exhibition 2026, running from 16 June - 23 August 2026.
RWS Gallery at Whitcomb Street
3 - 5 Whitcomb Street
London, WC2H 7HA
Free Admission
Tuesday - Saturday, 11am - 5pm
About the Artist
Modupeola Fadugba (b. 1985, Togo. Lives and works in Ibadan, Nigeria) is a multimedia artist known for her work in painting, drawing, and socially engaged installations. With a multidisciplinary background in engineering, economics, and education, Fadugba’s art explores intersections of cultural identity, social justice, game theory, and the socio-political dynamics of Nigeria within the global economy.
Fadugba's achievements include the prestigious Grand Prize at the Norval Sovereign African Art Prize (2025), El Anatsui’s Outstanding Production Prize (2014), and an Emmy Award (2022) for her documentary Dreams from the Deep End. She is also a recipient of the Smithsonian Artist Research Fellowship (2020), a member of the Tutu Fellowship Class of 2024, and a winner of the Grand Prize at the Dakar Biennale (2016). The artist has featured in group exhibitions at Powerhouse Arts, Brooklyn; the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, London; Gallery 1957, Accra & London; Afriques Capitales in Lille (2017); and The Ford Foundation and African Artists Foundation, Lagos. Her works are held in significant public and private collections including the Minneapolis Institute of Art, the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art, Museum am Rothenbaum Kulturen und Künste der Welt (MARRK), Jorge M. Pérez Collection, Tiroche Collection, and Sindika Dokolo Foundation.